An Unspoken Secret

Although I knew Ling Yan’s movements were unconscious, I still felt a thrill. It was as though she were clinging tightly to me.

I let out a foolish grin, fantasizing about a reality that, while normal for lovers, was unattainable for me.

But then I crushed that disgusting thought. No matter what, I couldn’t think like that. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be worthy of staying by Ling Yan’s side.

I shook my head, casting the thought aside. Instead, I watched Ling Yan sleeping beside me, making sure she wouldn’t catch a cold. Relieved, I turned my head toward the club members training in the distance, savoring this hard-earned moment.

Time passed slowly. The pool, which had been cool without sunlight, gradually warmed as the sun emerged.

I shielded my eyes and looked up at the glaring sun, estimating the time. The first round of training was almost over. It was time to prepare the supplies for the club members.

I stood up and looked at Ling Yan. She must have turned over in her sleep, leaving most of her jacket hanging off the chair and exposing much of her body.

I was surprised that Ling Yan could be so restless in her sleep. Chuckling, I helped her put the jacket back on, discovering yet another cute side of her.

Beep, beep…

Just as I finished dividing the water and towels, Teacher Xia blew the whistle, signaling the end of training.

What perfect timing. I was startled for a moment, then picked up the water and towels and walked toward the resting club members.

“Thanks, Chenzi.”

“Thanks, Zhou Chen.”

“Ah~, I’m dying of thirst. Thanks a lot.”

Each person thanked me with a tired look, and I inwardly congratulated myself for letting Ling Yan rest earlier.

“Chenzi, over here!”

Just as I was distributing items and thinking about Ling Yan, a crisp, cheerful voice reached my ears.

I looked toward the voice and saw Xiao Lu waving at me along with a few other members.

“Wait a moment, I’m coming.”

I handed the water and towel to the member in front of me and quickly walked over.

“Chenzi, is Little Yan asleep?”

Xiao Lu and the other members took the water and towels, then looked toward Ling Yan lying on her side on the bench.

“Yeah, she didn’t rest well last night, it seems…”

“Is it because of Zhou Chen?”

Before I could finish, a member interrupted, looking at me suspiciously.

I quickly waved my hands and smiled bitterly.

“I have no idea.”

“Really?”

The members clearly didn’t believe me. They leaned closer, staring straight into my eyes, making my hair stand on end.

They were so close. Even though we were familiar, the sight of girls in wet swimsuits at such close range made me unsure where to look.

“Alright, alright, don’t make things hard for Chenzi. I think Chenzi really doesn’t know.”

Just as they backed me to the edge of the pool, one more step and I’d fall in, Xiao Lu, who had been quietly watching, suddenly spoke. The members stepped back a few paces at her words.

Seeing them move away, I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn’t expect Xiao Lu to have to intervene in the end. Despite her weird hobbies, she was indeed reliable.

“Huh, Xiao Lu, aren’t you… mmmph—”

Just as I was feeling grateful to Xiao Lu, a blunt-speaking member seemed confused and wanted to say something.

But Xiao Lu, looking panicked, quickly covered that member’s mouth, sneaking a glance at me with a red face.

What was going on? I was startled by the scene, and my gratitude toward Xiao Lu vanished.

“Um, are you two okay?”

I asked cautiously.

“It’s nothing, nothing. Chenzi, go ahead and deliver to the others.”

Xiao Lu didn’t look at me, just waved her hand as if shooing a fly.

“Okay, I’ll be going then.”

I didn’t stay any longer and quickly ran off. I had a faint feeling that staying would lead to trouble.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly afterward. After I finished distributing the items and returned to the rest area, I saw that Ling Yan still showed no signs of waking. It seemed she really hadn’t slept well last night, which made me more certain that I should keep my distance from Ai Xi.

“Chenzi!”

Just as I sat back on the bench, quietly admiring Ling Yan’s cute sleeping face, Xiao Lu’s somewhat troubled voice reached me again.

Earlier while delivering things, I had thought it over. Given the reactions of the members and Xiao Lu, I guessed that Xiao Lu wanted to ask me something but was too embarrassed to ask directly, so she enlisted those members.

“Hmm, Xiao Lu, keep your voice down. Ling Yan is still sleeping.”

I shushed her and spoke softly.

Xiao Lu realized she had been too loud and quickly covered her mouth.

“Sorry.”

She apologized softly and sat down beside me, but didn’t speak immediately. Instead, she was silent for a while.

This made me feel awkward—first because of Xiao Lu’s secret, and second because I was afraid she would ask about earlier.

But if she asked, I would have to tell her, since Xiao Lu probably already knew something.

“Chenzi, did something happen between you and Ling Yan?”

Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Xiao Lu spoke, but she didn’t ask about the earlier incident. She asked something that made me even more fearful.

Was Xiao Lu aware of what happened in the morning? That would be deadly. If Xiao Lu found out, given how close she and Ling Yan were, even if Ling Yan let me off, Xiao Lu definitely wouldn’t. I absolutely couldn’t say a word.

“What do you mean? Yesterday, after we parted ways, I never saw her again.”

I swallowed hard, lowered my head guiltily, afraid to meet Xiao Lu’s eyes. My fists clenched, desperately suppressing my trembling throat.

“Is that so?”

Xiao Lu’s voice suddenly came clearly to my ears. A faint fragrance drifted into my nose. I turned my head and saw that somehow Xiao Lu was leaning on the bench, her entire body tilting toward me. Her face was very close to mine, just a few centimeters away, her large, bright eyes staring straight at me.

I was stunned and quickly leaned back. Why did girls always get so close when interrogating someone?

“Xiao Lu, you’re too close.”

I placed my hand on her forehead, intending to push her back a little, but she slapped my hand away with a sharp sound.

“So, does Chenzi know or not?”

Xiao Lu showed no sign of backing off. In fact, she intensified. My arm could feel the heat from her body, and her firm chest was almost touching me.

Even though Xiao Lu acted like she wouldn’t stop until I told her, there was no way I could reveal such a thing.

So, to avoid touching her, I stood up. Xiao Lu also stopped leaning forward and simply looked up at me.

“I really don’t know.”

I didn’t dare look at her. The words came out of my dry mouth one by one.

“…Hmph, Little Yan won’t tell me, and Chenzi won’t tell me either. Do you two not consider me a friend anymore?”

After a brief silence, a sobbing voice stunned me. I looked down at Xiao Lu. She had her head lowered, shoulders shaking, tears falling steadily to the ground, splashing droplets onto my feet, warm and wet.

I was terrified by the sight of Xiao Lu crying. In my memory, she had always been cheerful and strong. Even if I accidentally angered her, at most she would hit me.

But now, I had never seen her like this. I didn’t know what to do. I just stood there dumbly, staring at her.

“What’s going on?”

A somewhat cold voice snapped me back to reality. I turned and saw Ling Yan, draped in a jacket, propping herself up on the bench, looking at us with confusion.